EQUESTRIAN/Badminton: Ireland's showjumpers got off to a flying start with a win and a second in yesterday morning's opening class at the French fixture in La Baule, but the luck of the Irish evaporated in the afternoon's Nations Cup when the team finished a disappointing seventh of eight to earn just a single point in the Samsung Super League series.
Ireland's draw in the number-seven slot yesterday proved to be a foretaste of the eventual result. Shane Breen opened the batting, faulting at the final massive oxer on the run for home with World Cruise and adding two on the clock.
Captain Shane Carey, who had galloped into the winner's enclosure in the morning's two-phase with Lismakin, returned with eight for his tour of the Nations Cup track on Killossery. Edward Doyle recorded a similar result with Effective, before Conor Swail - second behind Carey in the earlier speed class - clocked up a discard 16 on Poncho.
A team total of 22 put Ireland sixth at the break, but the Germans had already established their supremacy, picking up a single time fault for an eight-point lead over France and Switzerland. The Americans were still in touch on 12.
Breen improved for a five-faulter second time out before Carey put in another eight, but Doyle pulled out all the stops to go clear with Effective and suddenly the Irish tails were up.
But it was only a fleeting moment of optimism. Swail needed to go clear to keep the Irish off the bottom rungs of the Samsung ladder but, with two down, Swail pulled up to leave Ireland on a two-round tally of 35 and down in seventh, with only Sweden in their wake.
The Germans held on for victory - and 10 Samsung points - with 13 faults, while the Americans vaulted up to second on 16 ahead of the hosts on 21.
Over at Badminton, Michael Ryan and Ann Hatton are also lower down the order than they would have liked in 60th and 61st. The two Irish hopes at Badminton may be at the bottom third of the field, but at least there is an Irish-bred, Irish-owned horse in pole position. Sue Magnier's ex-racehorse Moonfleet produced a sensational test for last week's Kentucky four-star winner, Australian Andrew Hoy, to take the lead from Germany's Ingrid Klimke and Sleep Late.
